By Megan Jamerson
Just like the ‘un-predictableness’ of a jazz song, the life of one Orange County musician has taken many surprising twists.
Roughly 15 years ago, “Rabbi Blue,” whose real name is Dwight White, was well known in the Laguna Beach music scene, playing with his band The Blue Machine at nearly every venue up and down the Orange coast – The White House, Margaritaville in Newport Beach, and The Coach House in Dana Point.
Then, at the peak of Blue Machine mania in the late 90s, Blue made a sudden disappearance from the music scene after suffering a psychological breakdown that sent him away for a few years.
It was during this “away period” that his music and, ultimately, his newfound faith carried him to where he is today: this African-American Christian jazz musician is now a Rabbi.
Listening to music helped him remember his roots, how he was brought up culturally, and what he was able to achieve. His time away also allowed him to see lyrics through the lens of Jewish teachings.
Photo by Faye Chapman
Rabbi Blue makes a point while on KX 93.5
“Lyrics can hit at the core of the soul,” Blue said, during a break from his appearance on a recent “The Friendship Show” with Dawn Price and Mark Miller of Friendship Shelter, and Scott Hays, 9-10 a.m. Saturday mornings on KX 93.5.
For Rabbi Blue, faith and music intertwined beautifully. He believes that when he plays his jazz style with a Yiddish twist, the music speaks to audiences in ways other forms of music cannot. “My soul is connected to their souls,” Blue explained.
These days, Rabbi Blue is at his happiest reaching out to people in the ways he enjoys most – performing music, sharing his faith, and seeing the joy these talents of his bring to his audience. And now he’s back in Orange County, better than ever – an unexpected delight, with graying beard, and conservative Jewish garb.
Photo by Faye Chapman
And he also finds time to give back to the community: he teaches music and song writing to younger generations, and he serves as Rabbi for the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department where he visits inmates in jail on a weekly basis.
Although he claims his “moonwalking” days are behind him, place a guitar in this man’s hands and he can still engage an audience primarily because his story is so uplifting and redemptive, and his joy for life so inescapable.
“I just tell my story in the music and song so people can relate it to their stories,” he says.
Rabbi Blue plays weekdays at Billy’s at the Beach in Newport Beach, and on weekends at Chapter One in Santa Ana.
To hear Rabbi Blue’s entire interview from his appearance on The Friendship Show, visit http://www.scotthays.com/radio-show/
